I already wrote about the Rovera robots in the Maker Shed Robot Gift Guide, but this guide is supposed to cover the robots that I’m excited about/interested in and that includes the Rovera. There are a lot of basic robot platforms out there. One of the things that I think makes the Rovera so special is the accompanying book, Make an Arduino-Controlled Robot. It’s designed to be a very detailed step-by-step manual for assembling the Roveras. So even though the Rovera is a fairly sophisticated robot, not ideally suited for the beginner, even a dedicated beginner could tackle it by carefully following the instructions in the book. BTW: The book stands on its own if you want to provide your own parts. The Rovera is available in two versions:Rovera 4W, $175Rovera 2W $200

Gareth Branwyn is a freelancer writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor for Boing Boing and WINK Books. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

Jim

I have the mint and love it. It is very quiet – barely noticeable unless it is right underfoot. It has two modes – sweeper and mop. You can use standard swiffer dust pads for the sweeper and swiffer makes a wet pad that works great for the mopping mode. Works great for our mostly wood or tile flooring. We run it regularly and you would be surprised at how much it picks up from “clean” floors. Not able to schedule like a roomba, but not really an issue, due to the fact that it is so quiet and can run relatively unnoticed with you in the room.

Gareth Branwyn

Thanks for that feedback, Jim. Does the NorthStar navigation work OK? I found it very problematic on the Rovio.

Jim

I have little reference for comparison. I will say that it is thorough and simple during sweep mode. It basically makes long runs back and forth in a very simple “mowing the lawn” pattern. In mop mode, it does a little 2 steps forward, 1 step back jig along a path that I would assume is to dislodge dirt. I always place the cube as instructed and it does show that it connects to the mint. It returns to its starting position and doesn’t seem to miss anything – although I have one very large room that it will only do half of and then I have to restart it on the other side – so it doesn’t wander too far from its cube. My only frame of reference is my friend’s roomba vacuum.

Bill

Put “Suicide Booth” on the Litter Bot and sales would go crazy.

Jessie

We have the Neato vacuum bot and love it. Plus it’s like having a Super Nintendo running around your house.